Uncovering the Past
by Scarlett Phoenix
Summary: Duke has a past and it's finally being revealed. A hint of Scarlett's past has been added also.
1. Discovery

Disclaimers: Devils Due, Sunbow, Hasbro, and others own the rights to GI Joe. I do not profit from this. Please don't sue!

AN's: Much thanks to Sapphiremind, Simonne, and Storm O for letting me use them as bouncing boards for this fic. O - Thank you for giving me ideas for the title. It gave me a good starting place to work from. 

Alison, thank you for beta-reading for me again! I hope that covers it. Enjoy!

**The News**

There was an eerie silence that encompassed the two-story, suburban house that sat at the end of a cul-de-sac. Conrad had just returned from taking the children over to their grandfather's house for the weekend; he didn't want them around when he told their mother about the letter he retrieved from the mailbox earlier that day. He paced their family room floor, checking the time displayed on the wall clock after every couple of laps. _'She should be home from the dojo anytime now. How am I going to tell her about this?'_ he muttered as he tried his best to shut out the pictures running through his mind. 

Conrad picked up the photographs, studying every little detail, and read the letter again for what seemed like the hundredth time that afternoon. He considered shredding both the items; doing that would destroy the potential they had of breaking up his family and ruining the life he loved. He stopped right before the shredder's blades grabbed the evidence. His conscious stopped him. He had always been completely honest with his wife; he wasn't about to stop now. Conrad tried to convince himself that they could work through this together. _ She's my wife and deserves to know. If I don't tell her, she'll find out sooner or later anyways. Better it come from me. _ He heard a car pull up in the driveway as he felt his knees start to give out. 

Outside, a pretty, red headed lady pulled her blue car into the three-car garage. She entered the house and dropped her duffel bag in the mud-room.

"Hey, class go well?" Conrad asked from inside the kitchen. There was something about his voice that told his wife something was seriously wrong.

"Except for Sean's hurting his leg while trying to show off, everything went just fine," Shana answered. "You okay?" She asked, looking into his worried blue eyes. "The kids?"

"The kids are fine. They're spending the weekend at your dad's. We... uh... there's something we need to talk about," Conrad responded and then suggested, "but first, why don't you go take your shower?" He wanted to postpone the inevitable as long as possible.

"Conrad?" Shana asked with concern, wrapping her arm around his neck. "What is it, dear?"

"I'll tell you after your shower. It can wait," he said, leading her upstairs to their bedroom. "You know I love you, don't you?" He asked turning his head back and looking straight into her warm, sapphire eyes and brushing his lips up against hers.

"Of course, I know, and I love you also," Shana replied as she gathered a set of clean clothes from their dresser. She leered back at her husband, "You sure it can wait? It's not like I haven't had to wait on a shower before."

Conrad nodded his head and laughed, "Get in there!" as he physically guided his wife into the bathroom, shutting the door between them. The hot, steamy shower running down her hair, back, and then her legs felt wonderful after teaching a beginning children's class and an advanced class at her father's dojo. Shana rushed through her shower, curious about what her husband needed to tell her. When he did stuff like that in the past, it usually meant a huge change in their lives - more recently, his retirement from the Army and later, the decision to move their family to Atlanta.

Conrad went back to his den and picked up the envelope. He went to the family room and sat down in his recliner, placing the letter on the end table. His mind replayed what he would say to his wife and her reactions. Conrad turned on the television and flipped through the channels, desperately trying to find something to take his mind off the news. 

Shana, now dressed in a pair a cotton tan shorts and a blue T-shirt in place of her gi, sat down on her husband's lap. "So, what was all that about?" She asked in a playful, but concerned voice. 

Conrad took his wife's hand and started to explain, "Hon, I love you and the kids more than anything and I would never intentionally do anything to hurt any of you."

Tears began forming in Shana's eyes. _What is this about? After all we've been through, what could be so difficult for him to tell me?_ She thought to herself as she eagerly listened for the next words to come out of her husband's mouth. _ We can work through anything, just don't tell me you want out. Oh God, please, don't let it be that._

"I don't know how to tell you this," he said, solemnly, lowering his eyes. With his free hand, Conrad reached behind him and picked up the envelope, which bore a St. Louis, Missouri postmark. In a near-zombie like state of mind, he stated, "Maybe you should read this." as he handed the item to his wife.

"St. Louis, huh?" Shana mumbled as she inspected the envelope. Not recognizing the addresser's name or return address, she raised her head and looked questioningly into her husband's baby blue eyes. All Conrad could say was, "Go on." He motioned his hands as if giving her a signal to see what was inside. Shana removed the contents, and her eyes widened at the sight of the picture. She knew immediately without even having to read the accompanying letter; there was no question about it.

TBC... 


	2. The Letter

Please refer to chapter one for the disclaimers and author's notes. (Both still apply.) Just in case, I don't own or profit from using the characters of GI Joe. 

More AN's: First, thank you for all the reviews! I'm glad to see the previous chapter did what it was intended to do. As requested, this has been updated. This has been a real emotional piece for me to write; lots of tears were shed over it. Hope you enjoy! Remember to let me know what you think by clicking on that little, blue "go" button at the bottom of this page. Please don't expect the next update to come as quickly as this one. 

Now, without further delay, here's the "The Letter"... 

**The Letter**

The suspense and tension was nearly too much for the former First Sergeant of the GI Joe team to bear. He had dealt with a number of issues and circumstances throughout his military and post-military careers, but nothing compared to this. The last thing he ever wanted to do was to put his marriage at risk. Conrad gently caressed his wife's cheek with his clammy hand and brought her face to meet his, both looking directly into each other's tear-filled, blue eyes. He pulled Shana's face closer to his and brushed a small kiss on her lips; a kiss he desperately wished had lasted much longer as he wondered if it would be their last. 

Conrad's lips felt good against her own. A part of Shana wanted to pull him closer to her and never let go; however, another part of her wanted to read the letter and find out exactly what was going on. Siding against her desire of having his comforting arms wrapped securely around her, Shana removed his hands from her face and stood up. 

Conrad would have rather that she remained in his lap and allowed him to hold her while she read the letter; after which, they could talk things out and cry. _What have I done?_ Conrad thought silently to himself as his wife's long, red hair trailed out of his hands; another moment Conrad when wished time would freeze. After the tip of her hair left his hand and she was out of reach, he crouched down and buried his head in his hands, his elbows resting upon his legs. He knew now wasn't the time to go after her; she needed her space. Conrad looked up to see Shana pace their family room floor in almost the same fashion as he had done earlier that afternoon. 

_"What the hell?"_ Shana muttered as she placed the photo behind the letter. She anxiously and nervously began to read it, her hands trembling with fear, wondering what news it contained. 

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_Dear Mr. Conrad Hauser,_

_I hope this letter finds you in good spirits. First, let me introduce myself. I am Mrs. Molly Johnston of St. Louis, Missouri. I know you have no clue who I am, and what I'm about to tell you is going to be quite a surprise, especially, if my understanding of the situation is correct. I suggest that you sit down before reading any further._

_I'm sure by now that you have looked over the enclosed photographs. The child and young man in the pictures is Christopher Scott Johnston, our adopted son. He is the reason that I am writing to you._

_Around eight years ago, he started asking us if we could locate his birth parents. At first, we were concerned about his emotional well-being, if he knew what he really wanted, and if his birth parents wanted to be found so we hesitated. We were also concerned he would leave us for one of you, but after a year of asking, we had to put our fears aside and do what we could to make his wish come true. The risks involved could never repay the happiness we've enjoyed since receiving him into our family. After our daughter was born, I was unable to have anymore children; although, we desperately wanted another one. Christopher has been such a blessing and joy to us. He has made our family complete._

_Back to the reason for writing this letter... We located his mother around a year after we began our search. Since we had a closed adoption, records were not made readily available to us, and we had very little information to go on. After running into brick wall after brick wall, we finally stumbled onto pure luck. We attended a Thanksgiving business event and met a lady who knew of a lady who had a story very similar to Christopher's. The only difference was that she knew a lady who put her son up for adoption. _

_Because it was a business function, we decided it wasn't the best time to bring this up and arranged to meet with her another time. We went to her home the week following as had been agreed upon. The more we talked, the more it seemed like we were definitely speaking of the same baby. These ladies were good friends, and she had plenty of pictures of this young lady to show us. It was amazing how much Christopher looked like her. Needless to say, our host refused to give us any of her information, even her name, but said she would be our liaison and speak with her friend for us._

_We waited and waited, but the phone call never came. The only thing we knew was that we couldn't give up on our faith. You see, we had a constant reminder as our daughter's name is Faith. There had to be a reason why we met this person at that evening, during a time when all other doors weren't budging. Finally, almost three weeks later, the phone rang and the lady we had met called to tell us her friend wanted to meet Christopher. She said her friend agreed that he must be the child she gave up almost thirteen years ago. We arranged to meet the weekend before Christmas at our home, which ended up being another wonderful Christmas gift that Christopher unknowingly blessed us with. All of us were nervous and fearful in the beginning. After the ice was broken, the meeting went off well and ever since then, we have made it a point to include Stacy, his birth mother and now our good friend, in all of his activities. _

_From what I understand from Stacy, you would be much harder to track down, and it appears she was correct. We began searching for you when we began our search for Stacy and are just now finding a your address thanks to her help. Stacy told us that you two were dating exclusively while in college and that she was two years behind you. She told us about you joining the Army right after graduation and about the proposal, which she refused. I'm sure the news about Christopher is a shock to you as she told us she never told you about the pregnancy. She didn't find out until you were gone. Yes, she could have contacted you back then and should have; but, whatever feelings you have on this subject, I ask and plead, on her behalf, that you don't be angry with her as she was young and scared at the time._

_If you've read this far, I'm sure you would want to know some information about Christopher. He was born on December 22nd in St. Louis, Missouri. He weighed eight pounds two ounces and measured twenty-one inches in length. It was a perfect, by-the-books birth, and we were able to bring him home on Christmas Eve that year; he is the best Christmas gift we could have ever asked for. Our daughter, Faith, was five at the time and wouldn't leave his side. They grew up to be very close and very protective of each other._

_Christopher is currently a second-semester sophomore at the University of Missouri and plays football for them, among other stuff. I'm sure you can tell from the photographs that he has light blond hair and baby blue eyes. That little eight-pound, twenty-one inch baby we brought home twenty years ago now stands at six-feet three-inches and weighs roughly one-hundred-fifty-five pounds. _

_Not knowing how you feel about meeting him, I considered sending this letter to you without his knowledge and was willing to hide that from him. The last thing on this earth that I want to do is open up a door to a world of hurt for Christopher. We love him more that I could tell you, but I could never hide something like this from him. He gets this look of wonder in his eyes, a kind of glint, when he suspects something. That was the reason we could never pull off a surprise birthday party for him. Anyways, I've taken up enough of your time as it is, so I'll close. If you are interested in seeing him, please either call, write, or email me or my husband, Derrick Johnston. I'll provide all our contact information below. I ask that you go through one of us to arrange any type of contact with Christopher. I'm sure you can understand our concern for him. _

_Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this letter. We look forward to hearing from you. However, if we don't, we will assume it is simply your choice to remain hidden, and we will respect that decision until you contact us to state otherwise._

_Sincerely,_

_Molly Johnston_

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At some point, Shana had stopped pacing and sat down on their couch, at the end farthest from her husband. She stared blankly at the paper after she had finished reading it. The man she thought she had known and loved for the past several years had another story to him. A son who was only eleven years younger than herself. Although every emotion and feeling under the sun was running through her body, Shana felt nothing, not even numbness. She wasn't even sure if she was alive or if she was in her body. Unaware of her actions, she stood up and walked towards the double French doors, which led to their backyard. 

Conrad had appeared to age several years during the time it took his wife to read over the letter; the creases in his forehead deepened and, despite his tears, his skin was drier and more wrinkled than usual. Worry was written all across his face. "Shana," he called out, barely able to speak. He met his wife at the doors and placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping she would allow him to embrace her. 

"Shana," he said hoarsely, as she opened the door. "Can we talk?" 

Not even turning her head back to look at her husband, Shana simply removed his hand and answered, "I'm going outside for some fresh air. I need time alone right now." The previously, happily-married red head stepped outside, shutting the door between her and her husband. 

From inside their home, Conrad watched his wife sit on their porch swing, holding the letter and photograph. Every once in a while she looked up to the clouds and then back down to the wedding ring he had placed on her finger almost seven years ago. He caught himself fumbling with his own ring, sliding it over his middle knuckle a couple of times. Since their marriage, the only time his ring ever came off his finger was when it was absolutely necessary or while sleeping. Conrad looked up at the ceiling and asked, "Stacy, why didn't you tell me? I would have taken care of you. I loved you back then, but Shana is my life now; my past, present, and I pray, my future." 

He looked back out the French doors' windows at the woman, with whom he was madly in love. _"Shana, I know this news is a shock for you, it was for me also. Yes, that boy and young man in the picture is my son. There's no denying it; he looks exactly like I did when I was those ages. I think you realize that as well. You've seen my pictures at mom and dad's place. _

"Shana, believe me, I never would have kept that a secret from you had I known. We've always been open, honest, and sometimes rather frank with each other. Shana, I love you. You **are** my life. I don't know if I can stand to live without you and **our** children. Please forgive me, my love." 

TBC...


	3. The Thunder Rolls

Disclaimers: All previous disclaimers apply. 

Thanks to Storm O and Alison for their input and betareading services.

"Brrr," Shana shuttered as she felt a sudden blast of unseasonably cold air wisp across her body. She quickly brushed off what she thought was a long, dull, rolling thunder in the distance. _Strange, it's been hot all week with no rain forecasted in the near future. _She went back to reflect on the letter she had just read. Again, she felt that quick burst of freezing cold air against her skin; but this time, she also felt a creepy, tingly sensation crawling down her spine. She looked up at the previously crystal clear, late night sky and saw a small cumulus cloud explode into giant towers to the west of their house. _That doesn't look good. Better get inside. _

Hesitantly, Shana opened one of the French doors and reentered their home. She walked through the family room, completely ignoring her husband as she passed him and headed towards their bedroom, which was located in the back of the house.

"Shana?" His voice called out after her. Receiving no reply, Conrad decided to follow her. On his way, he glanced at the clusters of photographs, which were hanging on the hallway wall. They were a mixture of candid and professional shots of their family and friends, ranging from their time with the Joes up until Junior's birthday party two weeks earlier.

Conrad immediately stopped in his tracks when he came across a photo of Shana that was taken at a Joe reunion party held at Ettienne's family plantation in Louisiana. No one officially knew of her first pregnancy until that party. They had decided to keep it a secret and surprise everyone; although, a few of them with whom they had much contact suspected something was up.

Shana had wanted to see all her friends again but was leery of going. She was in the latter part of her first trimester and was having a horrible ordeal with morning sickness, or as she had called it "all-day sickness". Conrad's face drooped when he recalled the first question out of everyone's mouth after they announced the news. It wasn't the normal "When's the baby due?" or "Do you want a boy or a girl?"

No, it was "Does this mean that you two are finally getting married?" He hated the disappointment he felt when he had to answer "No". Conrad had asked his long-time girlfriend to marry him when she told him. Shana replied with her own question, along with a request to look her in the eye when he answered, which he hated since he could never hide his real intentions from her that way. _Are you asking me because you were going to or are you asking me because of this baby? _

Conrad remembered wanting to tell her so badly that it was because he had planned on asking anyways, but he also knew her past and that one teeny white lie would end up hurting her a whole lot more than anything else she had faced before. Besides, he could never look her in the eyes and lie to her.

In a few frames over, he saw a picture of Junior sitting next to his mama. Junior had become quite anxious waiting for the new baby's arrival. He kept asking when the baby could come out and play with him. Conrad's face turned a ghostly white. _I knew the moment she became pregnant with both our children, the exact moment. No, we both knew. We denied it as long as we could, telling ourselves she was just late... When it became almost three months, we decided we had to face the facts, especially since we were traveling a few weeks later._

As Conrad stared blankly at his wife's pictures, the red haired, blue-eyed lady seemed to slowly evolve. Conrad shook his head when he thought he saw a young, black haired girl. He looked back at the photo, and this time, instead of seeing his wife, he saw a blond-haired, hazel-eyed college girl he had once loved. Stacy. Conrad's mind drifted back to the last few days they were together. _Did he really have absolutely no idea Stacy was pregnant with their child? Or was that something he had convinced himself of over and over again until it had finally become a reality to him? Stacy collaborates the story of me not knowing, at least she does according to what Mrs. Johnston wrote. But how do they know what I knew or didn't know when I don't even know anymore?_

Back in their safari decorated bedroom, Shana collapsed on the bed, still partially in disbelief that her husband had a son the whole time they had known each other and never bothered to tell her the possibility. If he had, she would have been a little better prepared for this day. _Mrs. Johnston said he doesn't know, but that's highly unlikely. I 'know' my husband. We both knew the exact moment both of our children were conceived, even though we denied it as long as possible with Junior._

Shana's eyes gazed at the bedroom's olive green walls and white ceiling. She knew he would sleep in that bed with her tonight, and she wasn't ready to deal with him yet as she had not come to terms about Christopher and needed more time alone to think things through before she became forced to say things she didn't mean.

Other thoughts snuck into her mind and found a dwelling place. _Shit, where did that come from? _Shana shrieked outloud, shunning the memories of Selena, as she jumped out of the bed and quickly gathered a few necessities, which she placed into a small duffel bag. Conrad peeked into the room as she did and retreated back down the hallway.

Quietly and quickly, Shana made her way back to the garage and her car. "Damn, my purse," she said as she went back in to the mud room. She glared at her husband who was holding her worn out, tan leather purse.

"Where are you going?" He asked, worried about his wife. He knew the way she drove when she was upset. It had been an exhausting day already, and he didn't want to get that middle of the night phone call or knock on the door from someone saying, "Mr. Hauser, this is Officer..."

Shana could hear the concern in his voice, but wasn't sure if his concern was for her or for him, since she was struggling with other probable, but unwarranted thoughts. She should never have entertained to them to start with, but now they had taken hold and were brewing fast. "Don't force me to talk with you right now. I don't want to do or say something we'll both regret." She grabbed the tan purse out of her husband's clutch and turned to head back towards her car.

"Shana," Conrad cried out, grabbing her upper arm rather tightly. "Please don't go. I love you so much. I'm so sorry about all this. Please stay..." His voice trailed off towards the end.

Shana turned back to face him and said emotionlessly, "You're hurting me." The look on her face and the sudden defensive stand she took alone were enough to cause his heart to stop that very moment. His mind flashed back - that was one of the scenes he mentally pictured when she had told him about her nasty divorce. He had sworn he would never, nor allow anyone else to, treat her like that ever again.

"I'm sorry," Conrad said, tears flowing from his eyes as he released his grip on her arm.

Shana placed her hand on his hand in a weak attempt to comfort him. "I'm not leaving for good... at least, not yet. You're gonna have to do something a hell of a lot worse than this to break us up," she tried to laugh. She raised her head; her tear-filled, tired eyes meeting his wet, reddened ones. "Just do me one favor," Shana asked.

"Of course. Anything," Conrad replied.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you had no clue, no earthly idea, no shred of suspicion, that Stacy was pregnant with your child back then. We, you and I, knew the moment Junior and Rachel were conceived... but if you can look me in the eye and tell me you didn't know, I'll believe you."

No longer sure of what was the truth, Conrad couldn't do the one thing his wife had asked since finding out about Christopher. It wasn't much and the story was already collaborated by another party. What was stopping him? _Damn it. Her eyes. _

Flashbacks of her husband's betrayal grew stronger and stronger in Shana's mind, no matter how hard she tried to fight them off. They had worked through the Selena ordeal, and she had forgiven him. It was something they had decided to leave in the past and never bring up again. However, the memories were becoming so real that she felt like she was reliving it. Shana even unconsciously substituted Selena for Stacy, even though the situations were completely different.

The stress of wondering why her boyfriend had suddenly stopped seeing her came back to haunt her. For weeks after being rescued from Cobra's mountain fortress, Conrad would only see her during "business hours" or call her. He cancelled date after date, saying something had come up.

Even though she knew her husband much better now and knew he would never do such a thing anymore, the memories became so overwhelming that her senses began playing games on her. She swore she could smell that same perfume that lingered on Conrad's clothes the day she found out he had been seeing Selena.

A loud clash of thunder broke the eerie silence that had previously encompassed the suburban neighborhood, followed by a series of lightening. It was as if the gods were in an all out war to see who was the most powerful.

Meanwhile, across town, Patrick O'Hara stirred to find that his two grandchildren had crawled in bed with him. "Now, now. Hush. It's just a storm," he said, trying to calm the nervous and scared Junior and Rachel. Both cried out for their "mama" and "dada". After getting them both to fall asleep, Patrick wandered downstairs and opened his front door. He looked up at the sky and mumbled, "Strange weather for these parts. The last time I saw a storm like this was a few days before we left Ireland." He closed the door and went to his bar. He poured a small glass of whiskey and went to sit down in his Lazyboy recliner in the den to relax before heading up to one of the other bedrooms to go back to sleep.

_Shana, what the hell is going on?_ Patrick thought, sensing that something wasn't right with his daughter and son-in-law. He knew it the moment his son-in-law called and asked if he could take the children for the weekend. Conrad had refused to divulge any details, saying it wasn't something to worry over. The sudden change in weather seemed to yell its disagreement.

A cloud-to-ground lightening bolt struck, which was shortly followed by a loud crash of thunder. During which, Shana had picked up on her husband's body language. She slapped him across his face just as the power flickered off and cried out, "How could you, you bastard? The least you could have done was tell me. We've both had relationships prior to ours. We even worked through your on-the-side relationship with Selena. Is she going to show up next with another one of your children that you conveniently didn't know about!" Realizing she had just voiced the thoughts she was fighting off earlier, Shana diverted her eyes from her husband's astonished stare and lowered her head. She softly added, "Conrad, I... I'm... I shouldn't have brought Sel..."

"Shhh... I almost lost you back then because of my selfishness. Shana, I don't want to lose you now or ever. When I vowed 'forsaking all others', I meant forsaking all others." Conrad stressed the 'all' as he tried pulling his wife closer to him, hoping she was bluffing about leaving, even if just for a night or two.

Shana tried to remind herself that this was about Stacy and Christopher and not that slave girl she had befriended, who would repay her by stabbing her in the back. The relationship with Stacy happened well before they had even met and became friends. She had no reason to be jealous over that.

Conrad's arms felt comforting and good around her. She tilted her head up to look at his face. It didn't take long for her to realize this was the same man who had betrayed her years ago. Now, he couldn't even do the one thing she asked and tell her for sure that he was oblivious to his old girlfriend's pregnancy. Shana shoved Conrad away from her and grabbed her bag and purse. On her way out the door, she stopped and said, "I loved and trusted you. I told you all about my past relationships, my previous marriage, and consequential divorce."

"Shana," a saddened and lost voice called after her.

Tears streamed down Shana's face as she opened the door to her car and climbed in. She turned her head and looked her husband straight in the eyes. Before slamming the door shut, she said in a raspy, low-toned voice, "Hell, Conrad, you were one of the very few people who knew about _Angel_!"


	4. Winds of Change

Please see Chapter one for the disclaimers. 

Much thanks again to Storm O for continuing to betaread this for me.

**Winds of Change**

Shana slammed the door shut after walking out of their house. She backed her car out the garage, driving it through their otherwise quiet neighborhood, before going down the streets of Atlanta. Since she had no idea where she was going or could go, she drove around aimlessly, trying her best to see. It became hard to tell if the waters streaming down in front of her were from the storm or from her eyes.

She didn't want to concern her father or brothers with this just yet, and definitely didn't want to give her local friends something to gossip about. Shana pulled out her cell phone and fumbled with the tiny buttons. She managed to press a speed dial button, hoping it was the one she meant to call.

"Hello?" A surprised female voice on the other end answered.

"Allie?" Shana asked, showing a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"Yeah. Shana dear, is that you?" Alison tried to hide the irritation she felt as she motioned Dash to quit messing around. She quietly cursed her best friend, who had a knack for calling at just the wrong moment.

Shana waited for the background noise to subside, before responding. "It's me. Allie, if it's a bad time..."

Picking up on her best friend's emotional state, Alison cut her off saying, "No. I'm always here for you. You know that, or else, you wouldn't have called this late." Alison covered the phone with her hand and whispered to Dash, "Hon, it's Shana. Be a dear and give us a moment."

"Anything wrong?" Dash asked, raising an eyebrow at his wife. She shrugged her shoulders to tell him she didn't know. "I'll be downstairs when you're finished with your girl talk. Hi, Shana!" Dash yelled and shut the door just in time to avoid being hit by a pillow thrown by Alison.

"Shana dear, I'm back. Now what's wrong? You and Conrad didn't just have one of your fights, did you?" Alison's concern for her best friend showed in her tone of voice.

Shana hesitatingly replied, "No." After a short delay, she corrected herself, "Well, actually yes, we did."

"What happened?" Alison asked, concerned about her closest friend.

Nearly in tears, Shana said, "Allie... He... We... I can't deal with this tonight. I'll call you tomorrow."

"No, Shana. We'll talk now. You think you can call me this late in the night just to tell me you'll talk to me tomorrow. It ain't happening!" Alison informed.

Shana: "Allie, I can't believe what I did. I don't even know where to start."

Alison: "That's easy. Start from the beginning."

Shana: "Beginning, huh?"

Alison: "That's usually the best place to start."

Shana: "In that case, I came home from teaching at the dojo, and Conrad starts in on the 'you-know-I-love-you-but-we-need-to-talk' spiel."

Alison: "Oh God, Shana. If you ever need someone to kick his rear, Dash and I are at your service."

Shana: "Actually, it's me who needs a kick in the rear."

Alison: "What do you mean, Dearie?"

Shana: "Well, after I get done with my shower, Conrad gives me this letter to read and a photograph falls out. I didn't even have to read the letter to know."

Alison: "Know what?"

Shana: "It was his son."

Alison: "Ah, _your_ son. Who in the world sent you a picture of Junior!"

Shana: "No, I said and meant his son. It wasn't a photograph of Junior, but of Christopher."

Alison: "Christopher! Who... what..."

Shana: "Apparently, Conrad fathered this boy right before he enlisted in the Army. The mother never told him about the pregnancy and put the baby up for adoption. A letter came in the mail, asking if he'd be interested in meeting his son."

Alison: "For Heaven's sake, Shana, is that all?" (silence) "Shana?"

Shana: "I'm here."

Alison: "Dear, that happened before the two of you even met. Heck, you were probably too busy fighting with Sean and maybe even Brian about which Saturday morning cartoons to watch at the time."

Shana: (laughter) "Actually, we spent Saturdays at the dojo, but I get your point." (sigh) "Allie, I... hold on a sec and let me pull into this parking lot up here."

Alison: "Okay. So, um, just where are you at?"

Shana: "Holiday Inn. How convenient, huh?"

Alison: "I don't know about convenient. You are going home after we finish, right?" (silence) "Right?"

Shana: "I don't know that he'd want me anymore, especially after..."

Alison: "Hey, calm down Shana. It can't be that bad, and you two have been through too much to have your marriage fall apart because of something like this."

Shana: "Yeah. He wanted to talk about it."

Alison: "Go on."

Shana: "He had been home most of the day, but I had just walked in from teaching and dealing with Sean before being hit blindsided with all this. I needed some time to absorb it and knew better than to say anything to him right then."

Alison: "And?"

Shana: "And I went out and sat in our swing to meditate, but I ended up brooding instead. Alison, you wouldn't believe the things that came to my mind out there - small stuff, a bunch of it was why I was attracted to him to begin with, but somehow I found them very repulsive tonight. I had enough and went upstairs to get some sleep so I could calm down before we talked."

Alison: "Nothing unreasonable so far."

Shana: "But as I lay in bed, I had a thought about someone I swore I'd never mention again. Allie, I forgave him. Forgiveness means just that, forgiveness. I had to get away before everything exploded into World War Three over here. I packed a bag and decided to spend the night somewhere else."

Alison: "What are you talking about, Shana? I know that the two of you had your share of fights, just like every other couple on this planet, but nothing was ever that serious, was it?"

Shana: "This was." (Silence.) "I tried to quit dwelling on it and almost did. But on my way out, he said something to me that set me off, which led me to ask him if Selena was going to show up with another one of his children. Allie..."

Alison: "Selena! What the hell does she have to do with this? Wasn't she that slave girl that you guys rescued before I joined the Joe team?"

Shana: "Yes. Shortly after the rescue, I found out Conrad was having an affair with her."

Alison: "Shana, I had no idea."

Shana: "It's ok. By the time you came on board, that was all over with, and he and I had worked things out. Dash probably doesn't even know. I don't see him keeping that big of a secret from you."

Alison: "Quit changing the subject. What happened next?"

Shana: "Allie, I felt so bad for bringing Selena back up, but he understood why I did. All I wanted to know was if he really had no idea his old girlfriend was pregnant. He couldn't tell me, so I left."

Alison: "Shana, damn it, girl! What were you thinking? What the hell difference does that make!"

Shana: "I don't know, Allie! I don't know... nothing, absolutely nothing."

Alison: "I'm sorry. I was out of line."

Shana: "It's ok. Now you see why I'm not sure if I can face him."

Alison: "You can. Just give both of you time to cool off. It does wonders, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that the 'making up' part is something to look forward to. Well, at least when Dash and I do."

Shana: "Allie!"

Alison: "So, does Conrad know where you were going? He's gotta be worried sick about you. And what about the kids?"

Shana: "No, he doesn't. I wasn't sure where I was going either. I just got in my car and left. The kids are at dad's for the weekend. Conrad sent them there before I got home."

Alison: "Shana, you know I'm here for you always, but I have a strong feeling you're talking to the wrong person. Do me a favor, don't do anymore driving tonight. Get yourself a room and give him a call, at least to let him know your safe. You could always get the room for the rest of the weekend and have him join you. Think of it as a weekend getaway."

Shana: "A weekend getaway while we're still in town?"

Alison: "Yes. Think about it... how long has it been since you and Conrad did anything without the kids? You need some time alone with each other. Dash and I do that every few months, um, rent hotel rooms in town. It keeps our lives from being mundane."

Shana: "Hmm."

Alison: "Promise me you'll call him."

Shana: "Yes, I'll call him. I'm dreading it, but I will."

Alison: "Good. One more thing... you should be thrilled to have another son to love and grateful someone cared enough to love him as their own."

Shana: "I know. Uh, Alison, thank you, and I'm sorry for calling so late. Give Dash my apologizes also, would ya?"

Alison: "Anytime, Shana. Call me back if you need to."

Shana: "Okay. Good night."

Alison: "Good night."

Alison hung up the phone and went downstairs to let Dash now she was finished. "Hi, Hon," she said as she sat on the arm of Dash's recliner. "I love you."

"I love you too," Dash replied, placing a small peck on his wife's lips. "What was that all about?"

Alison explained, "Christopher. Shana sounded horrible. I don't think I've heard or seen her that upset since we almost lost Conrad after he was hit by Serpentor's staff."

"Just who the hell is Christopher?" Dash asked, perturbed his romantic interlude was interrupted.

Alison explained the conversation she had with Shana. Dash did his best to control his anger. "Well, it's not like she's totally innocent, or did you forget about her previous marriage?"

"Dashiell Russell Fairborne!" Alison yelled, very upset at her husband. "How dare you bring her ex and Angel into this!"

"Well..." Dash started, ready to throw the entire story at his wife, but before he could get anything out, she interrupted him.

"Well nothing, Mr. Fairborne. Rob and Angel have absolutely nothing to do with what's happened. You know she would have done anything to save her daughter. That ex of hers... grrr... she never should have married that no good jerk in the first place." Allie flinched her fists and gritted her teeth, "Ooh, if I had known her back in college, she would have been a widow way before any of that other stuff happened. I'm surprised her dad or brothers didn't kill him or try to keep him away from her."

"What makes you think they knew or even know now? She's a devil at hiding things when she wants to. I'm sure she had those skills before ever enlisting," Dash muttered. He pulled Alison closer to him, stroking her cheek. "I'm sorry, Hon. It's just that we haven't had a chance to really spend any time with each other until this weekend, and I was looking forward to..." A huge, evil grin washed across Dash's face as he cradled his wife, giving her a passionate kiss, which he broke to ask seductively, "Mrs. Fairborne, shall we continue this upstairs?" Alison nodded her answer and giggled as her husband chased her up the staircase and back to their bedroom.

Meanwhile, Shana picked up her phone and walked towards the window of her lonely hotel room. She moved the curtains out of the way and looked out. The storm had quit, and the clouds were gone, leaving just the stars, which sparkled rather intensely for being in the city lights. She dialed their phone number at the house and heard a tired, male voice answer.

"Conrad? It's Shana," she said hesitantly, hoping he still wanted to speak with her. The silence seemed to drag on forever as she heldthe phone to her ear, trembling it almost uncontrollably.


End file.
